Lincecum’s Delivery at 1000fps

Tim Lincecum has a pitching delivery is one that is hotly debated whether or not it is the correct way throw a baseball.  His stride has been either ridiculed or taught as “the way” to generate power.  His slight twist at leg lift, the way he sticks his pitching arm behind his body, and his “pick up the dollar” follow through are the most talked about aspects of his delivery.

Although I don’t agree with the majority of what Tim Lincecum does with his pitching delivery, this video – taken at 1000 frames per second – absolutely demonstrates how pitchers should drive the baseball towards home plate, once the pitching arm is in position to do so.

Here are the key points I love:

• (Although I don’t like how his arm starts) Lincecum gets his elbow as high as he possibly can which enables the biggest muscle in his upper body (Latissimus Dorsi)  – and NOT the four little muscles that make up the “Rotator Cuff” – to be a big part in his pitching arm action.
• Lincecum does an outstanding job of getting his pitching forearm very close to vertical, which is a key reason why he can throw so many high-quality types of pitches.
• Immediately at release, Lincecum pronates his pitching hard so hard that the palm of his hand faces the sky.  Pronation is the key to protecting the back of the elbow.  Key point #1: Lincecum is simply throwing a “regular” fastball.  This is not a change up, a sinker, or any other pitch that many believe would cause such a dramatic pronation.  Key point #2: The fact that you can see Lincecum’s pitching hand pronate immediately at release means that the muscles responsible for this action started the “pronation process” BEFORE the baseball left his hand.

Although this is only a commercial, this high speed video clearly points out what the pitching arm does when it’s used correctly.

Coach Bones